Julia Drefke
Episode 37

Narrator:

Welcome, friends, to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. Join your host, Japhet De Oliveira, with his guest today, and discover the moments that shape us, our families, and communities.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Well, welcome friends to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. It's a fantastic episode. I'm very excited about our guest today because she is dangerous. And I say dangerous because she works in a really dangerous world. I mean, it's a very complicated sphere, and so I'm very excited about having her as a guest today to hear about all the experiences and stories that she's had in life that shaped her into the great leader she is. So for anyone who's brand new today, you'll see ... You can't see that she's smiling, but you can kind of hear it. The way it works is we have 100 questions, and the first 10 are really easy. Then after that, the guest gets to choose between 11 and 100, and they progressively become more vulnerable and more open. She will get to choose where she wants to go. So without anything missing right now, I'm going to just dive straight in. I'm going to begin with question number one. I'm going to ask you: What's your name and does anybody ever mess it up?

Julia Drefke:

Yeah. So my name is Julia Drefke, Julia Ellen Drefke. People do mess it up. It's a little ... I don't think I've ever met another Drefke. It's a name that I married into. So I had a simpler name, I was a Barker before marriage. So Drefke's more unique though, so I like it. Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

It is. It's a great name. And I never knew your middle name. That's brilliant. I love it. That's good. Well, I'm really glad, Julia, that you're on for this. And so would you mind sharing with everybody what you do for work, which is so risky and dangerous?

Julia Drefke:

Yeah. I'm a risky, dangerous, rule follower. Yeah. No. I lead our public affairs work, so underneath public affairs is public policy, advocacy, government relations, communications, in terms of communications to our leaders and communications to our elected officials. So I do that at the federal, and then within our state footprints, so California, Oregon, and Hawaii.

Japhet De Oliveira:

And you walk the corridors of government as well. Right?

Julia Drefke:

I do. Yes. Pre-pandemic, I was actually in the capital in Sacramento probably three times a week, and out in DC four or five times a year, so yep.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's brilliant. And you do this for Adventist Health.

Julia Drefke:

Yes, yes.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK, all right. Well, that's fantastic. How long have you been in this current role?

Julia Drefke:

I've been in this role for three years, actually about three years and 10 months, so I'm coming up on my four year anniversary.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Good.

Julia Drefke:

Yeah. And previously, I did this at a sister system in Florida, Advent Health. So total, I've been doing public policy for 18 years.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, my goodness. Yes, risky, dangerous, fantastic. We're so glad you do this, actually. It is really important. And I love the newsletter I get from you as well, with all the information. It's actually a shortcut for me to be able to hear the synopsis of what's the most important thing to read, so it's great.

Julia Drefke:

Perfect.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Thank you.

Julia Drefke:

Yeah, that's the goal of it, so perfect.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Good. That's good. So in the morning when you get up, what's your choice first drink? Do you drink coffee? Do you drink water? Do you drink one of those liquid green smoothies, tea? What's your ...

Julia Drefke:

I alternate between coffee and tea. But what I've found is it's not necessarily the substance that's in it, it's the ritual. I'm all about the ritual of coffee and tea, so I need to have my time to sit down and enjoy it, even if it's only a few minutes. So yeah, I'm a coffee and tea drinker.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I like that. Holding a cup is good.

Julia Drefke:

Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes, absolutely. With you, with you. That's good. All right. And where were you born?

Julia Drefke:

Oh, my goodness. I was born in Dayton, Ohio.

Japhet De Oliveira:

And have you been back?

Julia Drefke:

Oh, of course, yeah. So I still have my older brother lives in Dayton. A lot of my father's side of the family still lives in Dayton, and go back every two or three years, get back to the Dayton area.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, nice.

Julia Drefke:

Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, that's good. That's good. So when you were a child back in Dayton, Ohio, what did you imagine you were going to be? Was politics and government and public, what did you imagine you were going to be?

Julia Drefke:

Well, that's funny, so yes and no. I actually have a funny story around this. When I was in third grade, I was on my way to school and listening to NPR, and they were talking about cutting the WIC, women and children's funds that help single mothers and children access food and other things, and it bothered me that they were considering cutting this. So I went to my third grade teacher and she encouraged me to write a letter to my senator.

Japhet De Oliveira:

What?

Julia Drefke:

And I did, who at the time was Senator John Glenn of Ohio. And I wrote him how upset I was and that I asked him to preserve the WIC funding. And he wrote me back, and this became a trend. So important things in my life all the way through grade school, middle school, high school, I would write my Congressional members. And at the time, I didn't realize it was a job. So I was already doing my job in third grade.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I love it. I love it.

Julia Drefke:

Yes, but honestly didn't even realize it was his job until I'd graduated with my undergrad. So it was meant to be for sure.

Japhet De Oliveira:

So okay, this is not even on the questions here. What did you do your undergraduate in?

Julia Drefke:

Yeah, yeah. So I did my undergraduate and communication and public relations with a minor in history.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great. That's great. So you've been writing since third grade.

Julia Drefke:

Yeah, yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Influencing leaders to think about other voices, that's great. That's fantastic. These are stories and experiences that shape your life, and shaped our lives as well. Thank you for lobbying. Yeah, that's good. That's good. Hey, if people were to describe your personality, would they describe you as an introvert, as an extrovert, and would you agree?

Julia Drefke:

They would definitely describe me as an extrovert, which I would agree. I would just say that I've noticed as I get older, although I'm an extrovert, I need time alone to almost recharge, so yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's good. That's good. That's fair enough. And are you one of those people who, are you an early riser or a late night owl?

Julia Drefke:

Not a late night owl, not at all. I'm up every day between 4:30 and 5:00 AM.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Love it.

Julia Drefke:

Yeah. I love my mornings for two reasons. I'm a morning person naturally. It also gives me time to be alone in my house. I have two children and a husband, and sometimes that's my only time to be alone. And I can get my workouts in and get it off my to do list. Yep, early riser and in bed between 9:00 and 9:30 every day.

Japhet De Oliveira:

You're not doing those workouts with the Apple fitness app, are you?

Julia Drefke:

No.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, OK. I'm trying that. They're really violent.

Julia Drefke:

OK. I'll have to look at that. Wow.

Japhet De Oliveira:

No, they're brilliant. They're brilliant. I love them. I'm kidding. All right. Hey, that's great. And so early morning, I love that. That's good. First thing this morning then, what went through your mind as you woke up, first thought?

Julia Drefke:

My first thought was "I've gotten eight and a half hours, why do I feel so tired still?"

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, we all have those days.

Julia Drefke:

Yep.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, yeah. That's good. That's good. All right then, he's a leadership question. It's my last question before we dive into the 11 to 100, where you get to choose. Are you a backseat driver?

Julia Drefke:

I would say when I need to be. I think it's important as a leader to know when to step in, and when to take a backseat literally and let someone else step up. So it depends on people's expertise, the moment. I can be a backseat driver or I can be in the front driving. I can be the person reading the map and help guiding. I can serve whatever role I need to serve for the greater good.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right, love it. That's good. Good. All right. So you now get to pick. Which number would you like to go first?

Julia Drefke:

Well, so as I understand, they get harder as they go. Am I correct?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Well, what is harder? I mean, some people think they're harder. Some just think they're just fun.

Julia Drefke:

OK, OK. Well, I'll be easy with myself and start with 12.

Japhet De Oliveira:

12, all right. What's your favorite movie or book of all time and why? So movie or book of all time, yeah.

Julia Drefke:

My goodness. My favorite movie is Braveheart of all time, yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Of all time.

Julia Drefke:

Yep.

Japhet De Oliveira:

He loses.

Julia Drefke:

Yeah, he loses. I think it's ... And the reason is it's story of loyalty, a story of commitment to your culture really, and preserving culture and family.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Tremendous courage.

Julia Drefke:

And that family nation. Of course, history, I already told you I'm a little bit of a ... Love history, I have a history minor, so yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. Hey, that's a great choice. Love it. Good. All right, where do you want to go after 12?

Julia Drefke:

Okay, let's jump up to 20.

Japhet De Oliveira:

20, all right, here we go. Tell us about something you would rate 10 out of 10.

Julia Drefke:

Something, traveling.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK.

Julia Drefke:

Yeah, I've never gone wrong with traveling. There might be hiccups, but I love to travel. Every time I travel, it's a 10 out of 10, so no matter where I go.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK. What's a hiccup?

Julia Drefke:

Well, obviously for instance, I was just on a trip, and I got in pretty late. I was really excited to get to this new town, and they had overbooked the hotel and did not have a room for me, so that's a hiccup.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. Some people would call that a disaster, but you called that a hiccup. I liked that. That's so positive.

Julia Drefke:

Yeah. You've got to roll with it a little bit, yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's good, your 20A is fantastic, well done. That's good. Love that. All right, where do you want to go after 20A?

Julia Drefke:

Let's do 21.

Japhet De Oliveira:

21. Share the best compliment you've ever received.

Julia Drefke:

Being an inspiration to someone, that's the best compliment I think I've ever received. And it was a young woman, so that probably was even more important to me, who was giving it. I think as a woman leader, I have struggled finding other women leaders to connect with through my journey, and to have role models. So it was to have that be said to me, that I was an inspiration and someone that they kind of looked up to as a role model was definitely a compliment.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's beautiful. That's beautiful. Do you remember the name of that teacher from your third grade?

Julia Drefke:

Yes, I do.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah?

Julia Drefke:

Yeah. Mrs. [Glovka 00:13:04].

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great. That was just a test, and you succeeded. Oh, man, that was a home run. Well done. That's beautiful. That's actually, it is beautiful to see, and I like that. That's a great compliment, and a great compliment that you remembered as well, a female leader like that as a teacher as well. That's good. Beautiful. All right. Where did you want to go next?

Julia Drefke:

Let's jump up to 30.

Japhet De Oliveira:

30, all right. Tell us about something that you're really looking forward to.

Julia Drefke:

Something. Can I do short-term and long-term?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, yes. Expand.

Julia Drefke:

I'm looking forward to short-term, the holidays. I love the holidays because it's kind of, things tend to slow down. And I have two boys that are 13 and 16, and the time we have together is precious at this point because in a few more years, we're not all going to be together. So the holidays, I'm looking forward to the holidays. And then long-term, believe it or not, I'm looking forward to retirement, not because I don't love my job, but because I want to have more opportunity to travel.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, that's good, that's good. I like it. I like it. And your attitude to travel is great as well, just hiccups. That's great. Good. I'm not going to forget that. That's great. Where'd you want to go next?

Julia Drefke:

OK. So we were at 30?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Julia Drefke:

OK. Let's go to 35.

Japhet De Oliveira:

35, all right. Share a special interest or unique talent that you have.

Julia Drefke:

I don't know if it's a talent, but I always get eyebrows get raised when I tell them that I do kickboxing and boxing. So I belong to a boxing gym right now, just a boxing gym, not the kickboxing part. And I go there two or three times a week and spar with people, and I love it.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's incredible. That's fantastic. I've got this very different picture. It's beautiful the stories and experiences of Julia Ellen Drefke, kickboxing. And I know why you like politics and public relations. That's great. And history. Good. All right. After 35.

Julia Drefke:

Let's jump up to 50.

Japhet De Oliveira:

50, all right, here we go. Share about who has influenced you professionally.

Julia Drefke:

The first person that comes to mind is Brene Brown. I've read a lot of leadership and self help and those type of books, but I've never read as many as I have with Brene because she kind of strikes a chord with me, she really strikes a chord with me. So I would say Brene Brown, for sure.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Have you ever been able to see her speak live as well?

Julia Drefke:

No. That would be an amazing opportunity.

Japhet De Oliveira:

You would love it.

Julia Drefke:

Have you?

Japhet De Oliveira:

She's really good live as well.

Julia Drefke:

Wow.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Live and I mean, just yeah, worth it.

Julia Drefke:

I bet.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Next time go for it, yes.

Julia Drefke:

Bucket list.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes, bucket list. Do it, absolutely. Brilliant. I like that, that's good. Good, all right. After 50.

Julia Drefke:

Let's do something weird like 66.

Japhet De Oliveira:

66, all right, here we go. Tell us about one of your favorite songs. And what do you love about it?

Julia Drefke:

This is hard because I love music so much that it's like someone asking you what your favorite band is. You know?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Or favorite child.

Julia Drefke:

I have five favorite bands. If I have to pick a favorite song, it's going to have to be something by Enya, believe it or not. So once again, I was a weird child. As I'm talking you through, I fell in love with Enya in third grade, I think when I first started listening to her. And to this day, her music, if I'm feeling stressed, or uptight, and just need to wind down and reconnect and ground, I go to Enya.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Just remind me. Does Enya actually have any lyrics?

Julia Drefke:

Well, yeah. Yes, she does.

Japhet De Oliveira:

She does, OK. All right.

Julia Drefke:

She does. Sometimes it's in Gaelic, but yeah. Yep.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I'm only kidding. That's great. I love that. That's good. All right, after 66 then.

Julia Drefke:

Let's go to 71.

Japhet De Oliveira:

71. Describe a time when your life took an unpredictable turn.

Julia Drefke:

Actually, marrying my husband.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, when he listens to this, this'll be fun.

Julia Drefke:

Yes. I was, when I met my husband, I had been in a previous marriage, was a single mom, was not looking for love. And he was in law enforcement, and that scared me. And I had some preconceived notions about people in law enforcement, which are now that I know, are not accurate.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Just preconceived.

Julia Drefke:

So in some ways, I would've never ... If you would've asked me before I met him, "First of all, are you ever going to fall in love again?" I probably would've said no. And if you said, "You're going to end up falling in love and marrying a law enforcement officer," I would've been like, "No way." But hey, it happened. And he's one of the best things that's ever happened to me in my life, and a great ... He's just great partner, so yep.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, that's fantastic. That's beautiful. It's beautiful on all fronts. That's beautiful. Good, good. All right, after 71 then.

Julia Drefke:

Let's go for 79.

Japhet De Oliveira:

79, all right. So share if you would a painful memory you wish you could forget.

Julia Drefke:

I'm not going to call out a specific painful memory, but I would say I've had some health issues. We've discussed this offline before. And I think along with those health issues, there's definitely some literally painful and then emotionally painful memories that I don't know that I'd want to forget anything that's happened in my life though, really. As much as sometimes I wish they weren't so in your face, if that makes sense. Sometimes I wish they weren't so raw, but I don't know that I would ever want to forget anything that's been painful because they've shaped who I am.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Well, that's a really good perspective on handling some of the most complex things that we deal with. Right?

Julia Drefke:

Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, yeah. Appreciate that.

Julia Drefke:

It shapes us. Some of the most interesting people I've ever met are people that have overcome great challenges.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes. Yes. Shaped them and their character, and made them into who they are. Yeah, absolutely. All right, after 79, where would you like to go next?

Julia Drefke:

Let's do 85.

Japhet De Oliveira:

85, all right. Describe a role model you aspire to be like.

Julia Drefke:

Ted Lasso.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, wow. Yeah, yeah. I understand.

Julia Drefke:

I wonder if our listeners are familiar with Ted Lasso. But Ted Lasso is a fiction character, fictional character on Apple TV. And I just think because he's so positive and always sees the bright side of things, and yet he's a real person and has his own faults and things, but really tries to see the best in everybody. And I think we all ... And he tries to find common ground. That's something else that he's very different than a lot of his other characters on the show. And he can always find a common ground, so I love that. So I want to be more like Ted Lasso.

Japhet De Oliveira:

There is something nice about the belief, isn't there?

Julia Drefke:

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, no, that's good. That's great. You're the first one to say that. I love it. It's great. That's good. Good, all right. After 85, where next?

Julia Drefke:

Oh, my goodness. Let's just jump to 86.

Japhet De Oliveira:

86, all right. Who was influential in shaping you to be who you are now and why?

Julia Drefke:

I'm going to say my dad. There was a lot of people that influenced me. But I would say my dad, and the reason is his work ethic. He was kind of an entrepreneur and did various things, but he was never ... He always, if things are bad, you just go get a job somewhere doing something, you get up every day and you work hard. But the other piece that he really instilled in me is almost that social warrior. You need to advocate for those that can't advocate for themselves. And that's obviously very a compass for me, and that's why I'm doing the work that I do. And that's why in third grade I felt so passionate about writing my senator, is yeah, he really instilled in that, that you need to advocate for people that either can't advocate for themself, or don't have the same voice or opportunities that you do. So I would say my father, yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Have you ... All right, I'm going to ask you this because this is question 86A. Have you had the opportunity to share that with him?

Julia Drefke:

As I was talking, I realized that I probably haven't told him that, exactly that.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Isn't that incredible?

Julia Drefke:

Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I bet you probably have said it some way, but not directly.

Julia Drefke:

In some way.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Right?

Julia Drefke:

Right. But never ... I think it's important for me to say that too. He's no spring chicken, so I better say that.

Japhet De Oliveira:

You should. You should because I think about that, by all the people that influence us, and have done so many good things in our lives, and whether we actually ... And we're thankful for them that we should go tell them.

Julia Drefke:

Absolutely. Thank you for that. Thank you for the reminder.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That was beautiful. I love that's your dad. That's great. Good. All right, all right. Where next then after 86?

Julia Drefke:

Let's go to 90.

Japhet De Oliveira:

90, all right. Tell us about how you overcame a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

Julia Drefke:

Believe it or not, I went to grad school. I finished my grad school about five years ago, so it wasn't fresh out of ... And that was one of the hardest things I've ever done because I was working full-time, had two children. There were days where I would cry every day and think about quitting. So one of the hardest things I've done, and I think how I got through it was just if I thought about the whole thing at once, it would be so overwhelming, and I just got up and tried to think about, "OK. What do I have to do today to get through today and get my classes done, get my work done, get mommy hat done? What just today? And then tomorrow, I'll think about tomorrow."

Julia Drefke:

And then all of a sudden, I turned around and I was like, "Oh, my goodness. I only have one semester left." So it was just honestly getting through day by day and task by task, and having a good support system was really important. I don't know that I would've even taken that on without my husband. So obviously knowing that I could call on him and have that support was important.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's really good advice and good wisdom as well, the collaboration and being able to just break it down. That's good. I like that. All right. We have time for two more. I can't believe it. So where'd you want to go next?

Julia Drefke:

And we just did 90.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes, we just did 90.

Julia Drefke:

All right, so I want to go 99 and 100.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK. All right. All right, Julia. All right. So 99, here it is. What is the most difficult truth that you've ever told?

Julia Drefke:

That I've told to someone else?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Julia Drefke:

This is a hard one.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes, it is. Yes.

Julia Drefke:

I think any time when certain flaws in someone's personality starts to get in the way of their relationships and the way of their own happiness, there's been times where I've had to talk to a few family members about that. For instance, I won't call them out, but I've had a family member that was dealing with anger, that was a really difficult thing, truth to go tell that person. But what I found interesting is that person knew. They knew that anger was an issue. They almost needed to be called out on it to then approach it themselves and start working on it. And so while it was hard, it turned out to be a beautiful thing, and it wasn't as nerve-racking as I had built it up to be because this person knew there was some issues there and they needed to work on it. But I was grateful for having the courage to do it because ultimately, it put this person forward to start doing some work on it.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. It's true. It's true. No, I hear you. But I bet you it's because they knew also that you loved them.

Julia Drefke:

It's a good point, yes. It wasn't coming from a place of ... Yeah, it was coming from a place of love, so yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Because that's a hard thing to hear, but if it comes from a person that loves you, it's even more difficult to hear because they love you and know you. But if you can hear it, then you can make that change. Yeah. That's good. All right, all right. Question 100, last question. And this is the question. Tell us about one question that you just don't want to answer.

Julia Drefke:

I don't know that there's ... I try to be vulnerable. Obviously, I'm a fan of Brene Brown, so that vulnerability. So I don't know that there is a question that I wouldn't want to answer. It's sometimes more of deciding: How much do I really want to reveal? Right?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes.

Julia Drefke:

So I think I'm willing to answer just about anything someone throws at me.

Japhet De Oliveira:

OK. OK. That's good. That's good. Well, and that takes a lot to be in that space, to be open.

Julia Drefke:

Yep.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. So I appreciate that, I appreciate that. I think it takes a lot to be comfortable in your own skin.

Julia Drefke:

Yeah, that's true. And it's always a work in progress because it's four steps forward and then two steps back.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes, absolutely.

Julia Drefke:

We're all human. We're all human.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Absolutely. We all are. We all are. Well, Julia, thank you so much for your time.

Julia Drefke:

Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Thank you so much for sharing all the stories and experiences that shaped you into the amazing person that you are today, helping at Adventist Health and so much in not only what you do professionally, but what you do personally as well. You are a force to be reckoned with and a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant person. So really, really glad to know you personally and know you professionally as well. I want to encourage everybody who's listening to remember to share your own story and experiences as well. I really think they shape your life and they shape other lives as well. And I want you to take the time, listen well, ask great questions and continue to do so because you too can just be an amazing person that can change the world. God bless you, look after you. And again, Julia, thanks for your time.

Julia Drefke:

Thank you.

Narrator:

Thank you for joining us for The Story & Experience Podcast. We invite you to read, watch, and submit your story and experience at AdventistHealth.org/Story. The Story & Experience Podcast was brought to you by Adventist Health through the Office of Culture.